At the Library: Puppy Love

/ Mary / 2 Comments

Once upon a tdogime (just a few months ago on a Saturday, actually) a family came in to the Cheshire Public Library to use the library’s computers. They wanted to fill out an application to adopt a dog from a rescue shelter in North Carolina.

The family (dad, mom, son, and daughter) was excited about adopting this dog. They showed his picture, which included his name, to Cara, the librarian on duty. She agreed the dog was a cutie.

It was near closing time, and the application was a long one. The family needed to provide a lot of information and had to make a few calls to get names and phone numbers for references. Cara tried to disable the computer reserve system, which automatically shuts off all computers at closing. To her dismay, the computer shut off before the application was submitted.

“Did we get the dog?’ the little girl asked excitedly.

She did not realize they had just lost all their information. The application had to be submitted by 5:00PM on that same day. The family did not have a working computer at home.

The library was closing so the family left knowing they missed the application deadline.

Feeling bad about what had happened, Cara returned to her computer, found the website, and after some searching located the dog the family wanted to adopt. She sent an email to the animal shelter, explaining what had happened, describing how the entire family had come in together to fill out the application and how much they wanted the dog. She asked the shelter to not make any decisions until Monday when the family could return and use the library’s computers to submit an application.

She thought about the family and their dog for the rest of the weekend. She never expected to hear back from the shelter.

But hear back she did. The woman from the shelter who responded to her email was impressed that she had taken the time to contact them about the family and was delighted that the entire family had been so involved with the application process. She agreed to wait for the application.

In the meantime, the family found a friend with a computer and submitted their application that weekend.

A few days later, the family returned with flowers for Cara. The shelter had told them what she had done for them. In addition, the shelter said that her description of their family and their excitement for owning the dog, plus the fact that Cara had thought highly enough of the family to send the first email, were the best recommendations that they could have had. The shelter knew, the woman told them, that they were sending the dog to a good home.

So a rescue dog has a new family and a family has a new pet to love.

Librarians can make a difference in your life.

If you’d like to learn more about adopting a dog, try our non-fiction shelves under 636.7!

Summertime Stargazing for the Whole Family

/ Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment
Warm summer nights are the perfect time for stargazing alone, or as a family. Learning about space, the night sky, and how to find objects in the sky is free, can be lots of fun, and is a great way to spend some summer night with the whole family.  So, if you have a youngster that is fascinated by the stars, or if you would have some interest and would like to encourage that interest in other family members or friends, here are some great children’s books about the stars and getting started stargazing.
1. Stargazers by Gail Gibbons
2.Night Sky Atlas by Robin Scagell
3. Awesome Astronomy by Raman Prinja
4.A Black Hole is Not a Hole by Carolyn Cinami DeCristofano; Illustrated by Michael Carroll
5. Universe by Robin Kerrod
6.The Kids Book of the Night Sky by Ann Love & Jane Drake; illustrated by Heather Collins
7. Once Upon a Starry Night: a Book of Constellation by Jacqueline Mitton, Christina Balit
8. The Young Astronomer by Harry Ford

9.Where are the Stars During the Day?: a Book about Stars by Melvin and Gilda Berger; illustrated by Blanche Sims
10.Beyond the Solar System: Exploring Galaxies, Black Holes, Alien Planets, and More by Mary Kay Carson

 

Want more great books about the night sky and space include: Is there Life on other Planets?: and Other Questions about Space by Gregory L. Vogt, 11 Planets: a New View of the Solar System by David A. Aguilar,Exploring the Solar System: a History with 22 Activities by Mary Kay Carson, Dot to Dot in the Sky: Stories in the Stars by Joan Marie Galat, and 101 Things Every Kid Should Know about Science by Samantha Beres.

 

Still not enough information, or looking to study more study about space, the night sky, and stargazing? In the adult nonfiction department you might want to check out: Stargazing with Binoculars by Robin Scagell, Firefly Guide to Stars and Planets by Sir Patrick Moore, Astronomy Hacks by  Robert Bruce Thompson and Barbara Fritchman Thompson, An Intimate Look at the Night Sky by Chet Raymo,A Field Guide to the Stars and Planets by Jay M. Pasachoff, Discover Planetwatch : a Year-Round Viewing Guide to the Night Sky with a Make-your-own Planetfinder by Clint Hatchett, or The Audubon Society Field Guide to the Night Sky by Mark R. Chartrand.

10 Books We’re Looking Forward to in August

/ Louise / Leave a comment

Thrills, history, fantasy, and a bit of romance are all coming to Cheshire Library shelves in August. Just the thing to get us through the lazy, hazy days of summer!

Every month, librarians from around the country pick the top ten new books they’d most like to share with readers. The results are published on LibraryReads.org. One of the goals of LibraryReads is to highlight the important role public libraries play in building buzz for new books and new authors. Click through to read more about what new and upcoming books librarians consider buzzworthy this month. The top ten titles for August are:

  1. One Kick by Chelsea Cain
  2. Lucky Us by Amy Bloom
  3. Heroes Are My Weakness by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
  4. Lock In by John Scalzi
  5. The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton
  6. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
  7. The Truth about Leo by Katie MacAlister
  8. An Unwilling Accomplice by Charles Todd
  9. The Magician’s Land by Lev Grossman
  10. The Story Hour by Thrity Umrigar

Librarians as Detectives

/ Linda / Leave a comment

detective

Librarians often wear many hats during the course of their workday.  Recently, I donned my detective hat to solve a mystery.

An old photograph of Charles Lindbergh and his wife Anne Morrow Lindbergh was found in our bookdrop.  We had no way of knowing who it belonged to.  Stamped on the back of the photograph were the words, “Valuable Original.  Must Be Returned.”   There was an address in New York City also listed on the back for the Bettmann Archives and I sent the photo off to them with a letter explaining how we found it.  The envelope was returned one week later as “Not Deliverable”.

 

So I did a little searching and found some fascinating information.  The Bettmann Archive is named after Dr. Otto Bettmann, a librarian from Berlin, Germany.  He was a cataloger and he created a visual index for cataloging images.  In 1935, Bettmann left Nazi Germany for New York City with two steamer trunks full of pictures, books, and film (15,000 images).  Once in New York, he created an industry of collecting and classifying historic images for publication.

In 1995, the archive was sold to Corbis Images, a digital stock photography company in New York City founded by Bill Gates.  In 2002, to preserve the photos and negatives, Corbis moved the archive from Manhattan to the Iron Mountain National Underground Storage Facility, a former limstone quarry located 220 feet below ground in western Pennsylvania.  This site was chosen because it’s the most seismically sound and environmentally optimal location for film preservation in the United States.  Over the years, other collections were added to the archives including the United Press International collection.  There are 19 million historic photographs and images stored in this facility.

The Corbis website is mainly for selling reproductions of their photographs, so I sent an email to their sales department explaining what I had.  An hour later I received an email from their Sales Manager!  Not only was he happy I contacted Corbis, he told me his wife was actually from Hamden!  Small world!  I mailed the photograph to him on July 10th and on July 14th, I received an email from him letting me know the photo arrived safe and sound.  It will be shipped off to Pennsylvania for  digitizing and preservation.  He included a link to a 10 minute video that talks about that facility.  You can view it here.

I want to thank Sam Pagan and Oscar Espaillat from Corbis Images.  They were very helpful.  I wish I was able to find out how the photograph wound up at the Cheshire Library, but the paper trail was just too old.  But I certainly enjoyed learning about the Bettemann Archives and Corbis Images and I hope you found it interesting too!

If you’re interested in the story of Charles Lindbergh and Anne Morrow Lindbergh, the Cheshire Library has an assortment of materials for you to peruse.  I reviewed the fiction book, The Aviator’s Wife in an earlier post you can read here.

 

Source: Corbis Images

 

 

 

Museum Passes at CPL – Shoreline Trolley Museum

/ cheshirelib / 1 Comment

Cheshire Library has a collection of museum & state park passes that are available on a first come, first served basis for Cheshire residents to check out. CPL Staff member Lisa continues our series about the museum passes we offer, along with related reading material. This month, Shoreline Trolley Museum!

Featured Museum Pass:                                           Shoreline Trolley Museum

This month’s featured museum pass is for the Shoreline Trolley Museum. This pass is good for half-price admission for up to 6 people. All museum passes are available to Cheshire Residents on a first-come, first-served basis and must be returned by the close of business the next day.

trolley

A National Historic District – The oldest continuously running suburban trolley line in the USA.Come and enjoy a living, breathing experience riding historic, restored trolleys through scenic surroundings!The Shore Line Trolley Museum has been an important part of the community since its incorporation in 1945 as the Branford Electric Railway Association.  It was founded to preserve the unique heritage of an endangered species — the trolley car — and today boasts a collection of nearly 100 vintage vehicles as well as artifacts and documents from the trolley era.

trolley2

During your visit, enjoy a three mile leisurely round trip onboard a restored historic trolley car through the scenic Branford salt marshes near Long Island Sound. Learn about the history of trolley development and trolleys in Connecticut and beyond from our expert trolley operators/tour guides. Tour our trolley storage buildings and our indoor exhibit room to understand how trolleys played a role in the development of America as we know it today. For additional information, please contact the Museum at 203-467-6927 or check out their website at http://shorelinetrolley.org/.

If you are interested in visting the Shoreline Trolley Museum, you might be interested in reading:

Western Connecticut Trolleys by Connecticut Motor Coach Museum.

Throughout history, Americans have embraced technology with a special enthusiasm, and the innovation of the trolley car is no exception. This industry fueled the growth of many towns and cities in Connecticut, and Western Connecticut was able to keep pace with other parts of the state because of it. Although short lived, the trolley changed the landscape of the state and spurred progress in ways never imagined just a few years before. Marking an important milestone in the documentation of Connecticut’s street railway heritage, Western Connecticut Trolleys is the sixth Arcadia Publishing book chronicling the history of all the streetcar lines and companies in the state.